Sport
14 September, 2023
Giants and Rats set for epic finale
The Southern Mallee Giants are on the hunt for their first Wimmera Football League premiership when they face Ararat tomorrow at the Dimboola Recreation Reserve. The Giants played in two Grand Finals before – in 2018 against Horsham and 2019...
The Southern Mallee Giants are on the hunt for their first Wimmera Football League premiership when they face Ararat tomorrow at the Dimboola Recreation Reserve.
The Giants played in two Grand Finals before – in 2018 against Horsham and 2019 against Minyip Murtoa.
The Giants are also at full strength and will be fresher having the week off. They are in a great position to win this year and beating Ararat two weeks ago gives them that extra confidence.
Last time against Ararat it was Rupert Sangster and Josh Webster that stunned them early on the scoreboard and both are in good form. Luke Mahony also hit the scoreboard with three majors. The fire power the Giant’s possess up forward is potent.
Midfielder Billy Lloyd has had a brilliant season being named in the Wimmera Football League team of the year and fellow midfielders Kieran Delahunty, Mickjita Rotumah-Onus, Lou White and Coleman Schache are all in great form.
Angus McSweyn was the other Giants player named in the team of the year and his versatility is vital in terms of structure. He can play down back, up forward and pinch hit in the ruck if required.
Last week Tom Mills kicked six goals for Ararat and Tom Williamson chipped in with three. Both are dangerous players so Sam White and Jake Garvey have a big job down back.
Jack Ganley returned from an ankle injury he suffered in Round 14 and had a best on ground display with seven goals whilst being damaging around the ground. The Giants will need to find a way to nullify him.
Coach Kieran Delahunty knows that Ararat will have a lot of confidence back following their 110 point win over the Horsham Saints on the weekend but is confident they can shut them down again and play to their strengths.
“They played an impressive brand of football. They got back a bit of confidence and played well. We are hoping that we will be a lot stronger defensively than the Horsham Saints and not let them play in the manner they did on the weekend,” Delahunty said.
With their week off the Giants enjoyed a training session on Saturday morning and Delahunty said the boys are fresh and ready to go.
“It was a good blowout and it was a good chance to give the bodies a good freshen up. In terms of getting the kilometres in, we have done that the last fortnight and will come into the game with confidence we are fit and can run the game out,” Delahunty explained.
When asked if beating them last time gives added pressure for tomorrow and if it makes them the favourites heading into the game, Delahunty said that it isn’t an issue and that they just need to play like they did last time.
“We don’t feel pressure at all. If you ask ten different people, they will give you ten different answers as to who the favourite is tomorrow,” Delahunty said.
“We know we can match it with them and we showed that the last time we played them. We know they are confident after how they played on the weekend and we know we have to shut them down to beat them and not worried about outside noise.”
The majority of Giants have tasted premiership success when they claimed back-to-back flags in the Horsham District Football League in 2016-2017. Kieran Delahunty played in Minyip Murtoa’s premiership last year, while Billy Lloyd, Liam Nelson, Jackson Fisher and Mickjita Rotumah-Onus are others that have also tasted success. Delahunty said that will also put them in good stead.
“The experience some of these players bring will be vital. They all know how to prepare for Grand Finals which will help the players that haven’t played in one before. They know what it takes and what has to be done to win,” Delahunty said.
The community support has been huge and there was a huge turnout at training on Wednesday night supporting the team.
“One thing we have is good support. It is a bit occasion for the whole community. Football is a good outlet for them out there. It’s a remote part of the community. They supported us all year and the buzz is exciting,” Delahunty concluded.